Imerys Roof Tiles Changing Name

Imerys Toiture, the clay roof tiles company, has announced it has changed its name to Edilians (pronounced ed—il—lionce).

The company says it chose the name because it combines edification (or improvement) with alliance "because we are collaborators on the roof and the facade with tradesmen."

The business, which was formerly owned by French building product giant, Imerys, was sold to the private equity firm, Lone Star Funds for 1 billion euros in May 2018. The deal was designed to slash short-term debt and spur acquisitions. Imerys generated 300 million euros of revenue last year.

The Imerys Group had previously said it is focusing on its core mineral business, moving further away from the clay roofing sector Imerys Toiture was involved in.

A statement issued on the name change reads, "It is true that in the design phase of construction, we are now talking about solutions more than products, on the roof as well as the facade. And the more we offer systems to create roofing and cladding solutions with solar photovoltaic, gutters, valleys or insulation, the further away from Imerys' core activities we moved. It was time for the [companies] common journey to end."

Lone Star says the new company, Edilians, will have two objectives: to expand its roofing, solar, cladding and insulation ranges; and to increase its international sales, which currently account for 10% of the total.

A Lone Star spokesperson added: "Imerys is likely to further diversify and strengthen its portfolio of activities through acquisitions in the coming years."